


A Reward in Better Words

by TerraCody



Series: The Night Before the Decisive Battle [11]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Allergies, Comfort/Angst, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route Spoilers, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions/Golden Deer Joint Route, Headcanon, Love Confessions, Lysithea von Ordelia Backstory, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:42:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27514765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerraCody/pseuds/TerraCody
Summary: Lysithea only wants to relax and eat cake before the decisive battle. Linhardt however is determined to save her and nothing will get in the way of him achieving his goal. Not even Lysithea herself.
Relationships: Linhardt von Hevring/Lysithea von Ordelia
Series: The Night Before the Decisive Battle [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1841431
Kudos: 13





	A Reward in Better Words

**Author's Note:**

> Fire Emblem: Three Houses and its characters are the property of Intelligent Systems, Koei Tecmo, and Nintendo. Here it is; the final story to complete The Night Before the Decisive Battle. Of course, if you’re reading this at a later time this comment won’t make sense because of where this story is in the order, lol. Man...it’s difficult for me to convey just how much I love this pairing. An excellent Support chain and I feel that their paired ending is the best ending for both characters. I love the character growth Linhardt and Lysithea inspire in each other. Being in separate Houses unfortunately limits their interactions outside of the Support chain, but I find them to be endearing.
> 
> I hope you enjoy.

_29th of the Verdant Rain Moon, Imperial Year 1186_

“Is it really midday? It doesn’t feel like it.”

Linhardt von Hevring wasn’t accompanied by anyone but merely voiced his thoughts out loud as he yawned behind his hand. He shook his head as he ascended the stairs leading to the second floor of the Central Building. _It was quite unfair of Professor Byleth making me work so hard yesterday when we’ll be invading my homeland tomorrow. Perhaps her intentions were to distract me...but fighting thirty-nine bandits is not something I would call a fun endeavor. Caspar certainly didn’t shut up about it._

He reached the second floor and turned down the hallway towards the faculty offices. _Well, that doesn’t matter now. I have important work to do today._

Linhardt saw the doors to his destination wide open and he immediately smiled as he came to a stop in the doorway. “Professor Hanneman?”

”Ah, come in Linhardt.” Hanneman von Essar gestured to him to come inside. The Crest Analyzer hummed in the center of the room, and an aging and dilapidated book was propped up on his desk. Hanneman very carefully turned a page in the page, and the shifting page made a crackling noise that reminded Linhardt of a campfire. “I have everything set up and ready. If all goes according to plan, we can remove one of Lysithea’s Crests.”

Linhardt nodded. He suddenly felt elated as he looked at the book. It was so old that the pages had turned brown, and the sentences were faded. “So the spell will just remove one Crest? Not both of them?”

”It specifies the removal of one Crest,” Hanneman confirmed. “Which should work just as fine. Lysithea was born with one Crest, so leaving her with just one Crest should bring equilibrium to her body.”

Linhardt squinted at the spell, and he was optimistic by the intrinsic details. ”It looks like this spell requires two spellcasters. One to centralize the power of the spell, and one to perform the removal.”

”That is correct. I can comfortable with taking on either role.”

”I would like to perform the removal,” Linhardt said, glancing at Hanneman. “With your greater experience with Reason, you could maintain the stability of the spell better than I can.”

Hanneman nodded, although he smiled slightly. “You have brought up a good point Linhardt. And I am certain that Lysithea would be most pleased to have _you_ personally remove the Crest.”

Linhardt quickly looked away then, feeling heat on his face. “This spell doesn’t specify though if we can choose which Crest to remove,” he said, changing the subject.

”Yes, it does not,” Hanneman agreed, though the confidence in his tone didn’t waver. “However, Lysithea did not give you a preference on which Crest she preferred to keep, did she?”

”No. I think she’ll just be happy to get rid of one of them.” _Or both of them,_ he added quietly. He reread spell over and over again several times. “I do not see an incantation, but it looks like I have to shout this phrase at the apex. Ah, and they’ve provided a pronunciation guide for the phrase.”

Everything is in order,” Hanneman agreed. “We should find Lysithea and bring her here. We’ll need to practice to make sure we can tolerate the power of the spell. Hopefully she will have patience with us.”

”Hopefully this will work,” Linhardt said, strightening up. He looked at Hanneman. “I’ll go look for Lysithea. She’s been spending her time in the gardens between the Central Building and Entrance Hall, right?”

”I believe so, however you may want to check the Dining Hall today.”

“...Ah,” Linhardt said, nodding. “The new cake.”

* * *

“Attention!” Came the shout from up the line. “The Dining Hall is temporarily out of chocolate cake! The cooks will have more cakes ready as soon as possible!”

Lysithea von Ordelia barely heard the latter part of the announcement because the shouts of outrage and anger from the people waiting in line ahead and behind her. Not that she wasn’t disappointed; she frowned and scoffed at the news and folded her arms over her chest. “Out of cake,” she fumed. She looked at her surroundings, noting that she was standing directly in the doorway that connected the Entrance Hall to the Dining Hall. “I’ve already been waiting in line for an hour!”

People began leaving the line in frustration ahead of her, so she raced ahead to get a better place in line. She ran past patrons who were already eating cake, and her mouth watered at how delicious it looked and smelled. _Waiting for the cake will definitely be worth it! I am already all ready for the march tomorrow! Eating cake is the only thing I want to do today!_

As she took her new place in line, she quickly recognized the back of the head in front of her. She smiled and reached out to touch the person on the shoulder. “Hello, Cyril!”

”Hello, Lysithea,” he greeted her, smiling a little. “You’re looking to try the cake too, right? I vaguely remember chocolate from my childhood, but I don’t remember the taste of it.”

”Childhood? Ah, did this chocolate come from Almyra?”

“That’s what I heard. Oh.” He turned to the girl who was standing at his side. “You remember Famké, right?”

”Yes, I do,” Lysithea said, though her stomach twisted in discomfort from the lie as she shook the girl’s hand. She remembered that Famké had been a student at the Academy the same year she had been, but Lysithea didn’t remember which House she had belonged to. _She wrote the love letter that Cyril asked me to help him read, right?_ “How nice to see you again.”

”It’s nice to see you too,” Famké agreed. “Why don’t the three of us sit together when we get our cake?”

”That’s a good idea,” Cyril said, nodding. “Does that sound okay with you, Lysithea?”

”Oh, but I don’t want to intrude—” Lysithea protested.

”Well we _are_ on a date but tomorrow is going to be stressful for everyone,” Cyril interrupted her. “We might as well have a good time before then, right? Sitting together eating this cake will be a good thing to do.”

Lysithea slowly nodded in agreement, though she felt awkward about joining a couple for a meal time. “The cake smells amazing. I’m really looking forward to it.”

”Lysithea!”

Lysithea found herself immediately smiling, and her heartbeat suddenly accelerated. The gestures were fairly new and she was both shocked and mildly irritated that they happened involuntarily. But she couldn’t deny that she felt her mood lift as she turned to see Linhardt racing towards her. “Hello, Linhardt. Are you also looking to get some cake?”

“No cutting!” Someone further down the line snapped at them.

”Lysithea,” Linhardt said, reaching out to take her hand. “Please come with me.”

”Now?!” Lysithea couldn’t help but sound incredulous. “Does it have to be now? I’m waiting in line to get cake!”

”Lysithea,” Linhardt said insistently, his tone its usual low but his eyes were wide and bright. “Professor Hanneman has _it_.”

Lysithea gasped loudly, and she clapped his hand in both of hers. “R-Really?!”

Linhardt nodded confidently, though he coughed involuntarily. “Really.”

”I...” her voice trailed off as she looked up the line of people, and at Cyril and Famké who were watching them. “Ah...can it wait? I really want to have cake.”

”Lysithea, this is important—”

”I think I know how important this is! This is about _me_ , after all! But I’ve waited a long time to have cake, and—”

”I reserved slices before I met with Professor Hanneman,” Linhardt told her. “They’ll be ready later.”

”’Later’? But—”

”I know that you think this is a waste of time,” Linhardt interjected, stopping to cough again before continuing. “And yes, it might be a waste of time. But I studied the spell and it looks like it might work. Do you trust me?”

”O-Of course I—”

”Then _please_ come with me.” He squeezed her hand gently. “Do this for yourself, and then we can have cake. If it will, it will be celebratory. If it doesn’t...” he quickly shook his head and met her gaze again. “Just, please come with me now. Let’s do this and see if it works.”

”I...” Lysithea looked up the line mournfully. She looked at Cyril and Famké, who stared back at her with confused expressions. Then she looked back at Linhardt. She swallowed thickly. _He’s getting my hopes up. I already know that it’s futile, but I...I want to believe that they’ll succeed._ “All right,” she conceded, nodding. “I’ll go along with you on this. But you had better keep your promise about the cake, Linhardt.”

“I will. Let’s go.” He cleared his throat hard as he led her away from the line. “Enjoy the cake!” She called back to Cyril and Famké.

They left the Dining Hall and hurried towards the Central Building. Lysithea noted that Linhardt was still holding onto her hand, but at the same time she hadn’t pushed his hand away either. Her heart unexpectedly skipped a beat and she quickly shook her head. _Don’t think about **that** now!_

As they reached the breezeway that connected the Classrooms to the Central Building, a shout from the north made them stop in their tracks. “Hey, Linhardt!” Caspar von Bergliez raced towards them, smiling so brightly that Lysithea almost reflexively smiled in return. He stopped in front of Linhardt and struck a pose. “Linhardt, guess what?! I’m a knight! You are looking at _Sir_ Caspar von Bergliez of the Kingdom of Faerghus!”

”Congratulations,” Linhardt said. Though he used his usual dull tone Lysithea saw that he was smiling sincerely.

”You should go and get knighted, too! Dimitri’s knighting anyone who is interested!”

”I’m not particularly interested in becoming a knight,” Linhardt responded, shaking his head. “I’m a Crest-scholar, after all.”

”Well, wanna join me in celebration? I have a gre—” his words broke off as he caught sight of Lysithea. “Oh, hi Lysithea! I’m a knight now!”

”Congratulations,” Lysithea told him.

Caspar looked down at their hands, which were still locked together, and then looked back up at Linhardt. Lysithea knew him to be a bit of a...dense person. Then he shrugged. “Well, let’s forget the celebrations. I know the Dining Hall is making cake mostly today and I don’t like sweets. Hey, do either of you know where I can find Shamir?”

 _Shamir?_ Lysithea wondered.

”Why not check where she’s been for entire moon?” Linhardt offered him.

”But I don’t know where tha—the Training Grounds!” Caspar suddenly interrupted himself with a shout, startling both Linhardt and Lysithea. “She was there on our last free day! Okay, I’ll see you later!” He turned and ran north towards the Training Grounds.

”Why does he want to see Shamir?” Lysithea wondered as they began walking towards the Central Building again.

”Knowing Caspar, he probably wants to spar with her before the battle tomorrow,” Linhardt said dryly.

”But is such physical activity wise to partake in before a siege?”

Linhardt shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t spar.”

They hurried to the second floor and entered Professor Hanneman’s office. The older man’s face lit up when he saw them. “Good, you’re both here! We can get everything set up now!”

”Okay, let’s hurry up and cast this spell,” Lysithea said with mild exasperation, rolling up her sleeves. “I’m impatient to try that new cake already.”

”Oh, my dear Lysithea,” Hanneman laughed, shaking his head. “You sound as though cake means more to you than our work!”

”Well the cake _did_ smell good,” Linhardt admitted. “But anyways, are we good to go?”

”Ah...not quite.”

”’Not quite’?” Lysithea echoed.

“This spell requires meticulous work,” Hanneman explained. “It requires two spell-casters; one to cast the spell and one to gather and maintain the power of the spell. I will be maintaining the power of the spell, however every time I’ve tried to build up the power of the spell it dissipates. I have not been able to maintain the energy needed for a long period of time.”

”Let me help you summon the power,” Linhardt said, rolling up his sleeves.

”Lysithea, go ahead and take a seat,” Hanneman gently told her. “This may take some time.”

 _I could have had my cake while they prepared this spell!_ Lysithea didn’t say it out loud, but she knew that she had to look upset when she saw Hanneman’s expression turn crestfallen. She looked away from him because the expression made her feel guilty, and she found herself meeting Linhardt’s gaze. “My apologies,” Linhardt told her. “But in all honesties, it’s best that you remain nearby anyway. Once we build the necessary energy for the spell, we’ll need to cast it as quickly as possible before the energy dissipates again.”

”...All right,” Lysithea said, sighing heavily. She walked over to Hannemen’s bookshelf and grabbed a thick book from the shelf. She turned to his available seats and took a seat in one of the chairs facing the sofa and coffee table. She flipped it open and realized that it was a textbook. Undeterred, she focused on the words on the pages while Linhardt and Hanneman prepared the spell behind her.

_All I wanted to do today was have a stress-free day before we march on Enbarr and annexed the Adrestian Empire into the Kingdom of Faerghus. Oh, why did they insist on doing this today?! It just bugs me that they decided to not even consider how I feel before running some experiment on me!_

_...But they’re trying to save your life,_ a voice whispered over her mind. _They’re working this hard to save you. If they’re selfish, then they’re selfishness is rooted in restoring your life back._

This realization made Lysithea feel sick to her stomach, and her heart ached. She looked over her shoulder and saw Hanneman and Linhardt talked amongst themselves as they poured over the spell book. She knew that Hanneman wanted to save her because he saw her as a surrogate daughter. But Linhardt—she didn’t quiet know why he wanted to save her. Especially after he had shown elation over the fact that she had two Crests.

_“A shortened lifespan doesn't necessarily mean a short life. Even with two Crests, you might live a long time. And with you around, the study of Crests will undoubtedly reach previously unimagined levels. On the other hand...Getting rid of them could help someone that I care about. Maybe. Or maybe it won't help at all.”_

Lysithea flushed and she quickly looked away. _Okay. Okay, so he cares about me. But I shouldn’t read too much into it._

”Professor Hanneman? Linhardt?” She said finally, looking back at the textbook. “Thank you...for helping me.”

”I’m happy to help you,” Hanneman said simply.

”Well, I’m glad that you understand that I took you away from the cake for _your_ benefit,” Linhardt said dully. Lysithea felt a twinge of irritation before he continued. “But this is very important to me. I would hope that this would be important to you, too.”

They felt back to focusing on the spell, and Lysithea went back to reading. She had thought that the process to build up the spell would take little time, but every so often when she looked over her shoulder she saw varying levels of energy in Hanneman’s hands. It was never the same levels. This was a spell that required a significant amount of magical power.

_Does...Does this mean this is it? This is the spell that will save me?_

Still, several hours passed while Linhardt and Professor Hanneman tried to spell the spell to get it ready for the cast. Lysithea tried to be patient with them ( _because_ this was to save her life) and so she held her tongue and stopped complaining about this being a waste of her day and not getting the cake she wanted.

_If this will remove one or both of my Crests...it will be worth it. I know it will._

“Lysithea?”

The voice and the hand on her shoulder startled her, and Lysithea realized that she had fallen asleep. She straightened in her seat and looked up at Linhardt. He was smiling down at her. “It’s ready.”

”It’s ready?!” She exclaimed. She jumped to her feet but took a moment to put the textbook back on the shelf. Professor Hanneman was standing over the Crest Analyzer, white energy pulsating in his hands stably. “W-What do I need to do?”

”Insert your right arm in the center of the energy,” Hanneman told her.

”That’s not dangerous is it?” Lysithea asked, staring at the energy warily.

”Oh no, not at all. The power is hot, but it won’t burn you. If all goes according to plan, this will be the power that saves you.”

”...All right.” Lysithea rolled up her sleeve and carefully inserted her right arm into the center of the energy. She flinched when she saw the power envelop her arm. It _did_ feel hot, but not uncomfortable. “Okay!” Linhardt exclaimed, his enthusiasm further startling Lysithea. He stood in front of Lysithea and he began moving his hands in a way that Lysithea knew from her skills in Reason would be a spell cast. The motions were elaborate, and his brow knitted in concentration. After a few moments his own hands began to glow with the same energy. Lysithea felt her heart slamming inside her throat, and she was unable to look away.

_Please...Please let this work!_

“ _ODITIUOMAMI_!” Linhardt shouted.

An explosion of light burst between them. Lysithea gasped as she felt sharp prickles of pain over her skin as her knees gave out. She collapsed to the floor, but before she could fully regain her senses a hand grabbed her right. She opened her eyes and saw that both Linhardt and Professor Hanneman had collapsed as well, and it was Linhardt who had grabbed her hand. He pulled her hand back over the Crest Analyzer, and they all looked up at the same time. For but a brief moment, hope filled Lysithea’s heart. _Please..._

Her hope quickly died when she saw the image of her two Crests floating above them.

“ _Damn it_!” Linhardt shouted, his tone angry and anguished as he released her hand. Lysithea looked at him, and her own disappointment faded when she saw the frustration in his expression.

“I am sorry,” Hanneman said softly. He helped Lysithea to her feet. The pain in Lysithea’s chest spread when she saw the sorrow in his expression. “I did not mean to get your hopes up. When I found that spell, I...” He looked up as he spoke, and his voice suddenly broke off as his eyes went wide. “Oh. Dorothea?”

”P-Please forgive me.” Both Lysithea and Linhardt looked towards the doors. Lysithea was surprised to see Dorothea Arnault standing there, her expression flustered. _What is she doing here?_ Lysithea wondered.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt your wo—” Dorothea awkwardly continued.

”I think we were done anyway,” Lysithea interrupted her, though she said it reassuringly. She shook her head and forced a smile, though it was difficult to do so. _We wasted our time. This was all for nothing_. “I really want to go and have that cake now.”

”Then we’ll go,” Linhardt agreed, bringing Lysithea’s attention back to him. “We gave it our best shot and it did not work.” He looked to Hanneman. “Thank you anyway, Professor.”

”Please accept my—” Hanneman began, but Lysithea raised a hand to stop him. “You tried, and that means the world to me. It will be enough for now.”

”It’s not enough,” Linhardt muttered. Lysithea was stunned to hear his tone of voice and wondered if he meant to say that out loud. She wanted to ask him if he was okay, but then he walked around the Analyzer and gently took her hand again. “I promised you cake for doing this, and I intend to keep that promise.”

Lysithea nodded in relief, and she smile as she saw Linhardt’s features relax. “Thank you.” She looked towards Dorothea then. “Are you—?”

Dorothea shook her head dismissively. “I’m not interested in cake right now, but please tell me how it is. I walked past the Dining Hall earlier today and I can say that chocolate smells delicious. I hope you both enjoy it.”

”I am also not inclined to have cake right now,” Hanneman said, and Lysithea looked towards him then.. “Perhaps later on, if there is any left.”

_Why did she come all the way up here? If she’s not joining us for cake, then is she seeing Professor Hanneman? But why?_

”Have a good night, Professor. Dorothea,” Linhardt said, speaking before Lysithea could think of asking any of these questions. He tugged on Lysithea’s hand and she gave a quick nod to Hanneman and then to Dorothea as they left the office. Her throat burned, as though she wanted to cry, but she forced herself to think of something more...positive.

_Finally...I can eat that cake._

* * *

_I failed. It was a failure. Oh, if the person who wrote that damned book were still alive I would’ve looked for them and committed violence against them! And I **hate** violence! How could they be so deceptive?! The life of a young woman is at stake, and we wasted our time with that—that fraudulent excrement!_

Linhardt was so furious that he wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. He felt so sick that he was certain he would vomit. He certainly didn’t have the appetite for cake, even though he hadn’t eaten anything else that day!

 _But Lysithea wants cake. I wasted her entire day on a fool’s errand. I will give her everything she needs. I..._ he gritted his teeth, but he couldn’t help the pathetic whine that quietly rumbled from his throat. _How could I let her down like that, after getting her hopes up?_

”Linhardt?” Lysithea asked quietly behind him.

Linhardt stopped in his tracks. Even in the darkness of the night he could see the Dining Hall just ahead of them. He realized that he was gripping her hand tightly and slowly let her hand go. He let out a breath, but it was shaky. “I’m sorry for causing so much trouble for you,” he said quietly. 

“I’m not mad,” Lysithea quickly said, coming around to stand in front of him. Indeed, she didn’t look angry or anguished when she looked at him. But that didn’t make him feel any better. “I-I mean I _was_ annoyed earlier, but I do understand how hard Professor Hanneman and you are working to save my life. It means the world to me, really.”

Linhardt slowly shook his head and he looked away. “I do not understand how a spell that generates so much power could have that power simply dissipate at its peak without actually having a functional use. It did not attack us but it did not heal us either. Logically speaking, _something_ should have happened with that power, but nothing did! I...” he swallowed hard.

”Let’s not worry about it,” Lysithea said, taking him by the hand again. “Come on. Let’s go eat cake.”

Linhardt nodded and forced a smile, though it hurt to do so. “Right. Let’s go.”

It _was_ uplifting to see Lysithea in better spirits as they entered the Dining Hall. The smell of chocolate was still thick in the Hall. Linhardt felt a tickle in his throat as they approached the Head Chef. “I reserved two slices of cake,” he said. He cleared his throat slightly. 

The Head Chef checked a very long list, all the way to the end. “Here you are.” Lysithea sighed quietly in relief as two slices of cake were brought over to them. “Would you both like your slices plain or topped with Albean berries?”

”Plain, please,” Linhardt said.

”Oh, I’ll have the Albean berry topping please!” Lysithea said enthusiastically.

They received their preferred slices of cake and found seats near the doors to the Entrance Hall. As they sat down, a shout came up from the counter. “The Dining Hall is temporarily out of chocolate cake!“

”Oh, I experienced that earlier,” Lysithea said as people still waiting in line shouted in protest.

”Hmm,” Linhardt said. He rubbed his lips together as he looked down at his slice of cake, but paused. _Huh? Is there something wrong with my mouth?_

”Oh, this is _delicious_!” Lysithea gushed. “This is the best cake I’ve ever eaten!” She quickly (and noisily) ate her entire slice of cake, and Linhardt couldn’t help but smile. Her enthusiasm elevated his mood, and temporarily allowed him to forget how much of a failure he felt like.

He had been fascinated with Lysithea for a long time. Upon finding out that she wielded two Crests, something that had been deemed impossible, he had seen her as a walking miracle of sorts. She was exceptionally talented and opinionated; dependable on the battlefield. She was tactless though; always had a chip on her shoulder, and easily offended. Linhardt admittedly had seen some of her Golden Deer classmates (and even others outside of Golden Deer) in tears after speaking with her.

But she wasn’t a miracle. She was just a woman who had suffered greatly. The miracle of her two Crests was killing her, and she had accepted the fate that she may not see the age of thirty—or twenty-five, even—and so she tried to live her life to the fullest in the time she had left. But she wasn’t good with her emotions; he could see that. She accepted her fate, but she didn’t _want_ to die. She desperately, desperately wanted to live, but knew that her death was inevitable.

Linhardt was no longer fascinated by her Crests. Now he wanted the blasted things off her, and to help her live a long and peaceful life that she deserved to have.

_I have to save her. I **will** save her. She will grow old, have children, have grandchildren. She will see them grow. I...I want to give her this._

”Linhardt?” 

Linhardt’s head snapped up. Lysithea was looking at him in confusion. “Are you okay? You haven’t touched you cake.”

He looked down at the cake. He also noticed that Lysithea had clean her plate. She picked up her plate as she stood. “The cake was very rich. I’m going to ask for tea when I go back up. What kind would you like?”

“Crescent-Moon Tea,” he said, glancing at her.

”Eh? But that’s m—” she waved a hand. “All right. I’ll request that tea.”

Linhardt looked down at the slice of cake as she walked away. He picked up his fork and took a generous piece of cake. _Well, this smells delicious. And Lysithea just called it the best cake she’s ever had. So it must be good._

He slipped the fork inside his mouth. He was able to savor the delicious flavor for precisely three seconds before his world collapsed.

* * *

Lysithea didn’t make it up to the counter. She went back to ask Linhardt a question—and saw him take his first taste of chocolate cake. Before she could ask him what he though of it, his face quickly swelled. His lips turned purple, his eyes bulged as he dropped his fork and clutched at his throat as he fell out of his chair and fell to the floor.

In an instant, Lysithea was filled with hysterical panic.

_No! Don’t die! Please don’t die!_

She had long ago accepted her inevitable death, and while she had gotten her hopes up tonight it admittedly had not been as difficult for her as it’d been for Linhardt to face the failure. Death was an inevitability anyways. Hers was just coming sooner than she wanted.

But in that moment, when he collapsed and she screamed, when she realized that he was about to die...it felt like the world was ending.

_Don’t die! I love you, please don’t die!_

It wasn’t a sudden revelation for her. It was...something she had noticed two moons before, but she had deliberately ignored it. How could she not help but love Linhardt, when he was putting forth effort for the first time in his life, all to save her life? Watching him stress, watching his optimism over successes, watching his anguish over failures—she had never felt so _important_ in all her life. But she had ignored it because there wasn’t any point to such feelings when she was going to die anyways.

But seeing Linhardt on the verge of death, and she was helpless to stop it...she couldn’t ignore her love for him anymore.

Lysithea thought it was very lucky that Professor Manuela Casagranda was walking past the Dining Hall when Linhardt suffered his...attack. She didn’t look well, but she immediately leapt into action and began rapidly casting healing spells on Linhardt. The spells brought Linhardt back to conscious awareness. Lysithea and Manuela helped Linhardt back to his room where Manuela pressed cool, wet cloths to his face, and then casted more healing spells. Linhardt’s breathing began to even out and did not sound so labored, so she opened a Concoction and directed him to drink it. He choked on the liquid, but managed to keep it down.

His face was still swollen, as were his lips, but he looked considerably better than he had earlier.

”Well,” Manuela said softly as she pulled off his boots. “Swollen face, hives, closed airway—these are the common signs of an allergic reaction.”

”Allergic reaction?” Lysithea asked softly. She fidgeted where she stood.

”Yes.” Manuela tucked the covers over him. “You had the chocolate cake, correct? Did you eat anything else?”

”...No,” Linhardt said at length. His voice was strained.

”Well, my sincerest apologies Linhardt, but you appear to be severely allergic to chocolate. I would advise that you not eat it again.”

”That is a shame. The flavor was delicious, but this...” he groaned softly. “I wouldn’t wish _this_ on my worst enemy.”

”You are quite lucky though in that my spells were enough to reopen your airway. Had that not been successful, I would have had to perform a tracheotomy.”

”Tracheotomy? What’s that?” Lysithea asked.

Manuela glanced at her. “Oh, that’s when we have to make an incision in the throat to allow air—”

”Can you please spare us the details?” Linhardt interrupted her. “I feel like I’m going to be sick!”

”Just relax for this evening and see how you feel tomorrow,” Manuela told him. “If you are still experiencing symptoms of your allergic reaction, I can speak to the Professor to excuse you from marching tomorrow.”

”...Could you just write me an excuse anyway?” he asked in a hopeful tone.

Manuela laughed and patted his shoulder. “Oh, Linhardt! Please don’t ever change!” She straightened and looked at Lysithea. “He is out of danger. I have other business to attend but please keep an eye on him. If you also ate the cake Lysithea, I would recommend washing your mouth out before initiating inti—”

”What?!” Lysithea snapped at her, aghast.

”Although because of his current condition he should refrain from such—”

”What is wrong with you?!”

Manuela chuckled softly. “Oh, you two are too precious. Well...have a good night.”

She left them alone, and Lysithea stared at the door for several long moments. After a moment she frantically scrubbed at her mouth with her sleeve, though he face felt hot.

”Are you cleaning yourself up for a kiss?” Linhardt asked her from his bed.

” _No_!” Lysithea snapped defensively, blushing hard. She grabbed his desk chair and moved it to his bedside. She planted herself in the chair and glared at him, though he couldn’t see her expression. “Just be quiet and go to sleep!”

”These last few days have been difficult for me,” Linhardt said in a quiet, low tone. “Between the excursion yesterday, to our failed experiment, to _this_ —and now I have to get ready to march on the capital of my home country. Bring more bloodshed and death.” He scoffed softly. “There were changes that needed to be made to the system, but a continental war was _not_ the way to do it.”

Lysithea stared at him in silence for a long time. He sounded forlorn and... _hopeless_. He was usually lazy and whiny, but he seemed to be letting his guard down to her and opening himself to her. _But why?_ —But she was afraid to ask him this. 

But she still wanted to talk to him anyway. ”Linhardt?”

”What is it?” He answered groggily.

Lysithea fidgeted with her hands slightly. “You never said why you left the Black Eagles and joined the Blue Lions.”

”Oh, that was simple. I left because I disliked Edelgard.”

Lysithea gaped at him, though he obviously could not see her expression. “You...You _hated_ Edelgard?!”

”I never said that I hated her. I simply said that I disliked her. Do you remember that one when the Blue Lions put down that rebellion? The Lord—oh, I don’t remember his name. It was Ashe’s father, right?”

”Lord Lonato,” Lysithea clarified with a note of irritation in voice.

”Yes, that was him. The whole mess disturbed me. He was a man who thought he was avenging his son, and soldiers and _civilians_ stood with him, and all of them were cut down. I was too thankful that I never had to participate in that, but knowing that this resulted in civilian fatalities that Professor Byleth and her students were forced to commit was just...it felt wrong to me.”

”I’m confused,” Lysithea said. “If you disagreed with how the Church handled Lord Lonato’s rebellion, then why did you side _against_ the people who ultimately declared war on the Church?”

Linhardt was silent for a long moment. He looked like he wanted to swallow but Lysithea saw him flinch underneath the wet cloths covering his face. Finally, he spoke. “Because of what I heard Edelgard say afterward.”

”What?”

”When we got word back that the rebellion was successfully suppressed, and news started filtering in about the civilian casualties...I accidentally overhead Edelgard talking to Hubert in private in the Library. I had fallen asleep on the second floor. They didn’t know that I was up there; I had gotten quite crafty at finding hiding places to sleep.” He paused again before continuing. “Edelgard and Hubert said a few things that disturbed me greatly, but there were two very specifics things Edelgard had said that even now remain burned into my memory. _”We have no choice but to eliminate those who cling to unreasonable ideas of justice.”_. And, _”I’m just like Lonato. I, too, will be the sort of ruler who’s willing to risk the lives of my citizens in service of a higher cause.”_.”

Lysithea stared at him in horror. She felt like the breath was choking in her throat. “Sh...Edelgard really said that?”

”That she did. And Hubert of course agreed with everything she said. I laid up there for hours after they left. I kept thinking to myself, _This is our next Emperor?_ —The first time I killed a man, I smelled his blood for _days._ I had nightmares about the way he screamed when he died; the undignified frozen expression of horror that was permanently etched on his face. He was a thief who had killed defenseless people, but I had laid in this bed crying because I took his life. And Edelgard, she—I realized that she didn’t have _any_ regard for the defenseless people whom she would be ruling. I realized that she had an agenda. We know what that agenda was now, but after I heard her disregard the deaths of poor people I knew that her agenda took precedence over the people that she was supposed to be taking care of. I knew that I didn’t want to be a Lord serving her, and that I didn’t want to be in the Black Eagles House anymore. So...on the next free day Professor Byleth asked me to join the Blue Lions and so I did.”

Lysithea swallowed thickly. She remembered a few conversations she had with Edelgard and though she had appeared to be a coldly guarded person she had seemed to have... _empathy_ to her. Lysithea had felt an unexpected kinship to her, and she had never felt that the kindness Edelgard gave her was superficial or mocking. She had seemed _genuine_ in the way she acted around Lysithea.

_But she wasn’t genuine. Not entirely so. The entire time she was at Garreg Mach she was plotting war. I can never forget that, nor forgive her for doing this. The Crest system is awful...but sacrificing the lives of countless people, many of whom didn’t have a Crest, is not the way to bring about change._

Lysithea reached out to clasp Linhard’s hand. He immediately squeezed hers in return. “I’m...so sorry that you experienced that,” she said finally.

“Well, that wasn’t entirely the reason,” Linhardt said with sudden nonchalance.

“Huh?”

“On the academic side of things, Edelgard made it absolutely impossible for me to enjoy school,” he complained softly. “Professor Manuela did not particularly care if I slept through class, or skipped class, or was working on my own independent projects. But Edelgard was constantly criticizing me for _everything_ I did. Her never ending demands and responsibilities ruined the Academy experience for me.”

Lysithea rolled her eyes hard. “So in spite of her plotting a huge war she still expected you to perform academically.”

”I know, right? She was so unreasonable.”

Lysithea pressed a hand to her face and sighed painfully. _This is the person with whom I have fallen in love with. A whiny, lazy man who does everything he can to run away from responsibilities._

_...But this whiny, lazy man is nonetheless doing everything he can to save my life._

“So, Lysithea,” Linhardt said suddenly. He turned his head towards her though he couldn’t see her.

”What is it?”

”Why did _you_ leave the Golden Deer and join the Blue Lions?”

* * *

Linhardt heard her gasp softly, and he felt her hand stiffen. He wished he could look at her. _Please...Please trust me! I know about your Two Crests, and you know the truth about why I left the Black Eagles! Please, Lysithea!_

”I...” her voice trailed off. Linhardt squeezed her hand again in reassurance. “I believe I have proven myself regarding matters of keeping secrets.”

Lysithea giggled, and she squeezed his hand back. “Well, that’s definitely true. If you must know...it’s because I was scared.”

”Scared?”

”The anomalies that were occurring at Garreg Mach. The dark magic. It...It felt familiar to me. When Flayn was kidnapped, I was compelled to find out more of what was going on. Seteth didn’t step inside his office during the entire Horsebow Moon, so I decided to sneak in there to see if I find out more information. I read the reports submitted about Lord Lonato’s Rebellion. About the incident at the Rite of Rebirth. One day I even caught _Claude_ snooping around in there!” she scoffed slightly. “He was acting like he was also looking for Flayn, but he had actually stolen the answers for the final exam!”

”Oh, the final exam answer sheet was in Seteth’s office? Oh, I wish I knew that. Not that I would’ve mattered in the end, anyway.”

”But the people described in these incidents,” Lysithea pressed on. “And the magic that was used...it-it reminded me of the people who experimented on me! Who experimented on my family!”

This surprised Linhardt greatly. “I...see.”

”Then when Flayn was rescued, and they rescued that other girl, it...it was just so _weird_! Like, she was missing for an _entire year_ but yet she was found wearing apparently the same Academy uniform that she was last seen in? An Academy uniform whose clean and pristine condition did not correlate to someone who spent a year in captivity? Her scarf perfectly knotted? Her leggings having no tears or runs in them? Her physical appearance having not change for a _full year_?! Her face the same? Her _hairstyle_ the same?! Her nails were also perfectly manicured!” Lysithea sucked in a sharp breath. “I-I mean...I could not believe how easily fooled everyone was by her!”

”Everyone was just more happy about the fact that Flayn was found safe and sound,” Linhardt responded. “Plus Edelgard had immediately accepted her, so perhaps that’s why people just—accepted that “Monica” had come back.”

”She made me feel so uneasy. I...” he felt her dip forward. “She—I didn’t know her, but I _knew_ her, you know? When I saw her or when I heard her speak, she...she reminded me of the people who hurt me.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I felt like something was really really wrong but nobody else had noticed.”

Linhardt let out a slow breath. “So, you suspected from the beginning that Monica was a fake. But then why leave Golden Deer? You weren’t in the same House as either Edelgard or Monica. Staying with Golden Deer shouldn’t have made a difference.”

Lysithea began to tremble. Linhardt turned his head towards her, and his heart lurched when he heard a gasping sob tear from her throat. He tried to sit up, but Lysithea swiftly pushed him back down. “N-No, stay down! Professor Manuela told you to lie down for the night!”

Linhardt grabbed her wrists. “I’m okay. But please tell me why you left Golden Deer.”

”Because I didn’t trust Claude to help me!” Lysithea burst out.

Linhardt went still. “What?”

“Claude w-was just so—so scheming and manipulative! I could tell by the strategies he came up with that when situations went awry he preferred to let the chaos happen and then sweep in when the dust settled! I-I had this horrible bad feeling, but every time I went to Claude to voice my concerns he began every conversation by teasing me! I-I didn’t know if he took me seriously as a person! Then—Then I saw that people in Golden Deer were leaving to go to the Blue Lions, and likewise with the Black Eagles, and I started thinking— _Maybe they’re all leaving for a good reason?_ —a-and so _I_ decided to leave! B...But I was so stupid because I didn’t even tell the Professor my concerns! If I had told the Professor what I had suspect about Monica, then she—then her father wouldn’t have died!”

Linhardt felt and heard wetness fall upon him and he realized that she was crying. He slowly let go of her wrists. “I...can sort of see why you did not tell the Professor and Dimitri. It seems that you were concerned that they would not have taken you seriously as Claude appeared to not have taken you seriously.”

Lysithea made a noise of pain as she sat down beside his bed again. Linhardt wanted to hug her but he knew she would just push him back down on the bed again. “But,” he added. “I do not mean to sound critical, but I believe that you should have trusted in Claude more. Granted I never had private conversations with him but I observed his interactions with the students of Golden Deer, and it was clear to me that he favored you the most.”

”Claude? Favor _me_?!” Lysithea choked out a laugh. “I wasn’t Claude’s favorite! I think it’s pretty obvious that _Hilda_ was and is Claude’s favorite!”

”Perhaps, but he favored you both for different reasons. Both Hilda and you fulfilled different needs for him. With Hilda—well, I don’t think I need to elaborate on the needs she fulfilled for him.”

”She provides both physical and emotional needs,” Lysithea quickly said.

”...Yes,” Linhardt agreed very reluctantly. “But Claude liked you because you provided him a familial need.”

”Familial? I-I don’t understand.”

”Well, you were like family to Claude. You were the little sister to his big brother. If you had told him the truth, he would’ve listened to you and taken you seriously.”

”You really think so?”

”Absolutely. He loved you as the sibling he never had. He would’ve done anything to protect his “little sister”.” Linhardt sucked in a sharp breath, and he felt his heart ache inside his chest. “When someone loves you...they cannot help but want to do anything for you,” he said quietly. He was glad that he still had the cloths on his face because he didn’t want Lysithea to see whatever expression he was wearing.

”Are you talking about Claude...or yourself?” Lysithea asked carefully. There was a hint of fear in her tone.

Linhardt stiffened, and he almost cursed her for her lack of tact in this moment. _Well...I believe I made myself too obvious in that moment. Or maybe I’ve made myself too obvious all this time._

“Well, there’s no point in denying anything,” he said, keeping his tone as casual as possible. “You are quite possibly the most interesting person I’ve ever met, Lysithea von Ordelia. And I’m not just referring to your two Crests. You have a volatile but engaging personality. You are opinionated and a fiercely loyal friend. You are also very intelligent and beautiful. Discovering your secret has given me a greater drive in life than anything else. I want to know more about the secret of Crests—but more than that, I want to save your life.”

”Because you love me,” Lysithea interjected.

_Oh, she sounds angry. But why is she asking me these questions if the answer is going to upset her? Ah well._

”...Yes,” Linhardt said after a moment of silence. “I love you, and I would like to marry you. I don’t quite have a ring though, but—”

“Linhardt, stop,” Lysithea interrupted him.

”Hmm?” His throat tightened again, and not because of his allergy. “You asked me if I loved you. I gave you an answer.”

”I...” her tone had become quiet, tearful. She almost let go of his hand, but he held onto it as tight as he could. Which wasn’t very much. Silence stretched between them for a long time. He felt her trembling and he knew that she was trying not to cry. He made the decision to break the silence. “If...you don’t love me back,” he said slowly. “And are concerned that I’ll stop my research because of this, you don’t have anything to worry about. I’m trying to save your life because I love you, and even if you don’t love me back I can—”

”You don’t understand!” Lysithea hollered, squeezing his hand hard unexpectedly “I love you, too!”

Linhardt stiffened violently, and warmth spread throughout his body. He very suddenly felt so happy that he though he may faint, even while lying down. _She...She loves me back! But—But why is she upset, then?_

”W—” he began.

”I love you too, but I cannot be with you!” 

“Wait, what?”

“I know that you are trying to save my life, but we should both realize that it may not be possible to save me! I may not live to see my thirtieth birthday! If we cannot get these Crests off me, then my health will continue to deteriorate until I die!”

”That may happen, but it may not,” Linhardt retorted. “I may still be able to—”

”If you accept that it’s possible to save me, then you must accept that you may not find the answers in time! And if you do not find the answers in time, then you will have to watch me slowly die! And I _cannot_ bring myself to subject you to that!”

Linhardt lay still for a moment before he reached up with his free hand to pull the wet cloths off his face. “Linhardt!” she exclaimed.

”You don’t believe in me, do you?” He snapped, glaring at her as best as he could with his swollen eyes.

”W...What?”

”You don’t think I can save you. You’ve already resigned yourself to die? Have some faith in the man you claim to love, Lysithea! I don’t have the answer now, but that doesn't mean that I will NEVER have the answer! I _will_ get the answer and I _will_ save you!”

”But—”

”No buts!” Linhardt hollered, but he gagged and coughed against his raw throat. Lysithea fumbled with his side table and pressed a vial to his lips. “A Concoction,” she said softly.

Linhardt drank it down gratefully, and felt the worst of the soreness leave his throat and face. He could look at Lysithea a little more clearly now as she pushed him back down on the bed. Her eyes were indeed swollen from unshed tears. He grabbed her wrist and held firm. “No buts,” he repeated. “I’m saving your life and that’s final. Do you understand me?”

Lysithea gaped at him stunned. Her mouth opened and closed for a few moments before she closed her mouth. She sat down in the seat again. Linhardt relaxed back against the bed, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a rational compromise for her. _Okay. Okay, we love each other. She had acted like she wasn’t discouraged by our failure today, but she was. And seeing my allergic reaction probably frightened her deeply. I shouldn’t be pushy about our feelings, or her mortality. She probably feels overwhelmed._

”...All right,” he said finally, still looking at her. “I won’t speak about this anymore.” Her head snapped up at this. “Until those Crests are gone,” he added.

Her eyes widened but he continued. “I’ll focus entirely on my work. The removal of your Crests will be my full-time job. I will renounce my noble title and move to Ordelia territory. I will devote every day to my research to save you. I will not stop until I have the answers I need. Then, when I remove those Crests from you...” he let his finger slide over her knuckles. “We will talk again about our feelings. Whether or not we still want to be together and get married.”

Lysithea laughed softly. “If you remove my Crests my _father_ would marry you!” She shook her head and looked at him. “Y...You would really sacrifice your entire life like that to save me? Renounce your title, forsake your family, just for _me_?”

”...Yes,” Linhardt said at length. “People who are in love tend to make great sacrifices for the people they love.”

”I cannot just let you make so many sacrifices.” She covered his hand with her other. “If you succeed, I’ll also renounce my title. We can live as commoners. Just farmers or scholars or something.”

”Scholars,” Linhardt quickly interjected. “I do not think I am capable of manual labor.”

“All right, scholars.” She picked up his hand and his heart skipped a beat when she pressed a kiss to the back of his hand. She met his gaze and smiled. “Thank you...for doing all of this for me.”

Linhardt huffed out a laugh. “Believe me...meeting you was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.”

* * *

The knocking on her door was loud and insistent. Lysithea was fully awake in and instant and she quickly sat up. She looked out her window and frowned. _It’s just barely dawn now. I didn’t get a full night’s sleep!_

She stayed with Linhardt until she was assured that he would fall asleep safely, then she went back to her own room. But sleep had not come to her easily because of their discussion. She had been irritated, apprehensive...but also very happy.

_We didn’t succeed yesterday, but we may succeed tomorrow. I...I think we may be able to do it._

The knocking on her door paused, but the voice that followed startled Lysithea deeply. “YOO-HOO! Lysithea!”

In a flash Lysithea was out of bed and flinging open her door. Before she could further react or say anything Hilda Valentine Goneril flew into her room and crushed her in a tight hug. “Aww, Lysithea! You’re as adorable as ever! Oh, I wish I had time to give my little sister a makeover!”

”’Little sister’?!” Lysithea sputtered, pushing Hilda away. “We are not sisters, Hilda! And why are you here?! Why are you not with Claude?!”

”Oh, Claude’s here,” Hilda said nonchalantly, stretching her arms over her head. “He went to wake up Raphael and Ignatz.”

”Wake up...” Lysithea trailed off as she saw Marianne von Edmund standing in her doorway. Her brow rose when she saw that Marianne was already dressed in her Holy Knight armor. “...What’s going on?” She asked slowly.

”Oh, just give me one moment,” Hilda said. She ran past Marianne and out of the room, leaving Marianne and Lysithea standing awkwardly in silence as she knocked on the door to the room to Lysithea’s right. “Leonie! Wake up! Are you in there?”

”What’s going on?” Lysithea asked Marianne, approaching the door.

”A-Ah...” Marianne fidgeted slightly. “It...appears that we have a different mission.” She wrung her hands slightly. 

“‘Different mission’? Wha...” Lysithea’s gaze dropped to Marianne’s hands and she gasped loudly. She reached out and grabbed Marianne’s hand, gasping at the ring on her left ring finger. “M-Marianne?! What is this?! A-A-Are you...?!”

Marianne flushed, but she managed a small smile. “I...became betrothed last night.”

”That’s incredible!” Lysithea shouted, squeezing her hand. “You’re getting married!”

“Leonie’s not in her room,” Hilda said returning to them. “We’ll have to look for her. Oh, you saw her engagement ring too, Lysithea? Isn’t it wonderful?”

”I-It really is! I— _wait_!” Lysithea shouted, letting go of Marianne’s hand. “I’m happy for you Marianne, but I need to know right now what’s going on! Hilda, why are Claude and you here?!”

”Oh, isn’t it obvious?” Hilda smiled devilishly as she struck a pose. “We’re going to save the world.”

**Author's Note:**

> Awww, Linhardt suffered so much in this fanfic, lol.
> 
> The phrase Linhardt uses when casting the fake spell, “oditiuomami” is from Fire Emblem: Path of Dawn. It’s an Ancient Language translation of the line “Now, once more” from the song Life Returns. And yes, the energy release DID effect Lysithea, Linhardt, and Hanneman in different ways.


End file.
